Emerald Spider
General Description The Emerald Spider is, in reality, not just one sort of spider, but the name of the most common type of large arthropod found throughout Fastheld and the wildlands. Predominantly green (thus its rather simple name) to blend in with the canopies of the trees that are its home, the Emerald Spider is an able predator that spins webs nominally to entrap birds, bats, and other larger avians among the tree branches. It prefers darker locations, and has the unique property of being able to camoflauge its silk by injecting it with a sort of organic dye; from certain perspectives, Emerald Spider webs are completely invisible to the naked eye, appearing as part of the scenery down to color and even internal texture. Their silk is exceedingly strong; a hunting web is usually insufficient to hold any human larger than a child immobile, but is a remarkable hinderance regardless, often needing to be cut or burned away to avoid impeding motion. Given enough time, a breeding colony of emerald spiders can and have coocooned adult humans, wildcats.. and even the occasional horse. Their venom is narcotic, inducing drowsiness and unconsciousness especially with repeated bites. Hunted Object Description Emerald Spiders can currently not be hunted. Habitat and Habits The spiders live mostly in remote places; as a predator of man, they are not often endured near settlements or steadings, even in the Wildlands. Mostly, they are arboreal, and thus pose little direct threat; they prefer to live high, using webs to catch smaller creatures like chitters and jays, relying on their own agility to avoid predation. They usually live in small colonies of three to five hunting adults, though lone emerald spiders (usually females) can often be found in search of new hunting grounds. Once a year, a colony will lay a communal egg sac containing thirty to forty eggs; the juviniles are barely hand-sized, and their venom is nontoxic to humans (it grows potent with age). Less than five will survive to adulthood, as they are often eaten by eagles, bears, and other apex predators - as well as men who find the taste of their delicate flesh to be a delicacy. To date, the emerald spider has never been truly domesticated (as the silk spider has) - but it is often 'tricked' into spinning webs of camoflauge and unusual colors by incredibly brave individuals who risk the fangs for the profitibility of such silk. Given that the spiders are by no means 'tame', and that settlements are understandably uncomfortable with having them nearby, most of those who would pursue such a trade do so in very remote areas with existing populations - and often come to a very sticky end. General Behavior The emerald spider is an oddly neutral creature, generally placid unless provoked or its web disturbed. Colonies possess a rudimentary cunning, working together to envenom and enwrap prey - but as a whole the spider is not truly intelligent, seeking to eat, breed, and spin as needed. They are weavers, building elaborate webs with which to catch prey - and in colonies are not averse to bringing down even something the size of a human who becomes entangled in their webs. Given that their webs are usually high up, however, the spiders only rarely prey on man due to simple lack of opportunity. Without a web, or when faced with fire or other strong light and heat sources, the spiders will generally retreat, though they will defend themselves if cornered. Relevant Stats A spider, due to its remarkable agility, is usually GOOD in all relevant stats, but is fragile enough to only require a single hit of any real quality to kill it. They are Poisonous, their venom inducing drowsiness and a drugged stupor. Additionally, their webs are sticky and difficult to tear, often incurring penalties on those who blunder into them. Given a sleeping, drugged prey, they can quickly coocoon them in a mobile prison for later consumption. Category:BestiaryCategory:Dangerous BeastsCategory:Forest CreaturesCategory:Underground Creatures